October 2017 October Events
Oct. 3 Oct. 5 Oct. 6 Oct. 9 Oct. 11 Oct. 12-13 Oct. 17 Oct. 18 Oct. 24 Oct. 27 UBC Presentation- PLT Academic Awards- 6:30pm Thanksgiving Celebration- PLT Thanksgiving Day- NO SCHOOL U of A evening Presentation 6:30 pm-7:30pm MAC Council Retreat Post Secondary Out Of Province Info-1-2pm Picture Retake Day Grad Assembly PLT Halloween Dance Parents/Guardians: Student Verification of Registration form
Your child will be given a Student Verification of Registration form to bring home. We ask that you diligently go through the document and make changes right on the form if necessary. Once the changes have been made, or the form does not need any changes, please sign it, date it and return it to the school as soon as possible. We would like to have all the forms back at school by October 30 Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Upcoming University Information Sessions OPEN HOUSE DATES Post-Secondary Institutions: NAIT October 13-14th. U of A October 21 Grant MacEwan November 4th VISITS FROM POST SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS: October 11 th : U of A will be hosting a parent information evening at 6:30 p.m. Held in our Atrium. All grades and families are welcome to attend. October 17 th : During PLT: MAC is hosting an Out of Province University Fair. November 3rd - an all-afternoon event- MAC is hosting a Post-Secondary Fair for all Alberta Institutions. November 22nd MAC - during lunch - MAC is hosting a BC University mini fair. Students Services will meet with ALL grade 12 students to ensure they have their graduation requirements as well as to talk about upcoming applications to post-secondary Institutions. Most Institutions have started taking applications for the following school year. Please encourage your child to sign up for one of our mandatory PLTS. Graduation 2018 Grad Council will be chosen and begin meeting in October. Grad Formals the week of Nov. 27 with more info to follow. Hello all Marauder Parents...
Every year they have a challenge among high schools in Edmonton, across Alberta and nationally to see who can donate the most units of blood and establish the most new donors, (between Sept 1-May 30)... Is it in you to give? Students that are 17 or older can donate but so can their parents and older siblings. Help us win this year s challenge. Donating blood is a simple process; you do not need to know your blood type. For a healthy and hydrated person the process would take a total of two hours, but most of that is for the screening process, only 5-15 minutes is the typical time it actually takes to donate that unit of blood, and you can donate every 56 days (males) or 84 days (females). Your generosity can help as many as three people in the process. Registering to be a supporter for the Archbishop MacDonald high school challenge blood drive is easy! Anyone can join: Students (17yrs or older), teachers, family or friends and especially Alumni! If you are already an avid donor and have a donor card, please have it ready, as the registration process will ask for it. If you cannot find your card you will need to register as a new donor, do not worry, Canadian Blood services will cross-reference and find your name. Any donations made since Sept 1st will count toward our challenge. Go to https://blood.ca/en/blood/how-do-i-join-team Scroll to I have a partner ID number" and click on Register as a member online Then fill out your personal information: the Archbishop MacDonald High School ID is ARCH011331 (4 letters, 6 numbers) Call 1-888-2 Donate to book an appointment today and help MAC save lives. Parents:
Our amazing students at our school, with charitable hearts, are looking to support their local community by raising Macaroni ( Kraft Dinner style but not necessarily that name brand) in support of the Edmonton Food Bank. for our third annual MACaroni Wars! Our goal is to raise $10000 worth of goods to be provided to the Edmonton Food Bank. With great generosity, students have been raising goods and providing advocacy to the challenges that our society has regarding hunger in our local community. Believing in power in numbers I am writing you, on the student s request, to ask for your support in the following ways: Primary: A donation of macaroni or cereal that can be delivered to our school or a monetary donation (payment options can be directed to Christopher.ferguson@ecsd.net). Secondary: Donations for prizes (gift cards, product, etc.). Prizes will be given to classes and individuals that raise significant goods for MACaroni Wars! These donations will help motivate students to support the cause. We thank you for your time and look forward to your support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Chris Ferguson (christopher.ferguson@ecsd.net)
Athletics Volleyball season is in full swing with all four teams remaining competitive in their divisions. Senior girls have been off to a good start with some strong tournament finishes, including a second place finish most recently in the Sturgeon tournament. They are looking forward to some competitive games this season and hope to make a strong playoff run a month from now! Both senior teams are gearing up for the Best of the West tournament in Kelowna from October 12-15. The junior boys and girls' teams have had some very competitive games in September and are looking to battle back in October as they attempt a playoff run. They are also excited for the Blessed Oscar Romero tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend. Mac's swim team has been busy getting ready for swim meets held around Edmonton and our cross-country team is looking to finish strong this season, as Edmonton is hosting Provincials this year. Archbishop MacDonald also has several students playing football for other high schools around the city who are having great success, as well as students who made the St. FX cheerleading team, which starts up later this fall. Last but certainly not least, Mac has three curling teams that will compete out of Jasper Place Curling Rink this year. The season starts the week of October 16th and we'll have updates throughout their season. We wish our athletes all the best in their season! Go Mac Go!
October Physical Education News On September 13 th, thirty-one P.E. 30 students departed to Long Lake Educational Centre for their 3 night camping trip. Our students braved cold weather at times but still had a wonderful time surviving the elements. They competed in an all day, survivor challenge game that included canoeing and orienteering. Our students will always remember the natural sauna and of course, seeing the Northern Lights during our nightly camp fires. On September 27 th, all of our P.E. 20 students experienced a voyageur canoe trip on the North Saskatchewan River. We had an amazing day paddling and singing down the river! Stay Active MAC Mr. Marauder will have a tip in staying active for our MAC community each month. This month, Mr. Marauder recommends that we take a 15 minute walk after supper.
Edmonton Catholic School District Parent Newsletters October 2017 F s, Report Cards, Faith and Pearls When I was going to school, when it came time for report cards at the end of the year, I confess that I never ever got an F. But I wished I had. Let me explain. Not that long ago, I was asked to share a few words to a graduating Grade 12 class. I started by telling these young women and men that I was privileged to have had a sneak peek at their report cards. And they all got F s. Needless to say, they were shocked. I had some quick explaining to do before one of them passed out. Look, I get it that report cards are meant to give students and parents an idea of how the students are doing in their studies what they re doing well and where more work is required in reading, writing and math, and the sort. Yet, in a Catholic School, a report card is meant to tell us even more. Yes, we all want our students to do well in their academic achievements; and I might add that in Catholic Schools they do very well! The even more part of report cards are the F s. Faith. Family. Friends. The big picture of what a Catholic School does is to help prepare our children for success in life by grounding them in their faith. Faith in a God who created us, who cares for us, and who loves us. And to help our children, in turn, share their faith with family and friends. Another way of putting this is by asking ourselves What do we value most in life? Faith. Family. Friends. Let s look at how Catholic Schools accomplish the even more by revisiting the Parable of the Pearl Buyer in Matthew s Gospel. Jesus is asking his disciples and followers what the Kingdom of God is like? He uses a number of examples to convince us that the Kingdom, that is, eternal life with God in heaven, is something so beautiful and so precious that we would want to do everything to acquire it. So the Parable of the Pearl Buyer tells us that when someone finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl (Mt 13: 46). Pearls are especially beautiful and precious. And rare to come by. Do you know how pearls are formed? Well, if I understand well, an oyster feeds by filtering out food that it captures when particles are drawn into its mantle cavity. However, sometimes a piece of sand gets stuck in the flesh of an oyster and the oyster is unable to rid itself of this irritant. So instead the oyster secretes a milky solution which layer by layer covers the piece of sand. Eventually a pearl is formed. What was once an irritant has become smooth and round, a precious gem. Pearls are produced by life, a life which has overcome death. Jesus is the Pearl of Great Faith. He willingly endured his passion and death upon the cross. In doing so, he took upon himself the irritants of our sins, overcame death, and granted us salvation and eternal life. We too experience irritants in life. (Just ask my priests; many might say that their bishop is one of their biggest irritants!). Struggles. Health issues. Family problems. Arguments with friends. Difficulties in accepting myself the way I am.
Yet, God gives us the grace to overcome whatever irritants life sends our way so that, layer by layer, the irritants become smooth and acceptable. Pearls in the making! Friends, that s why I love Catholic Schools. They journey with our children each day, forming them in the precious gift of faith, preparing them for true success for life. Faith. Friends. Family. God bless! Bishop David